This year has been very successful for Families Fighting for Justice and O.L.L.Y- Our Lost Love Years. We have received so much support over the year from wonderful organisations that have shown us amazing generosity. Our charity is run on volunteers and the generous donations we are given by our sponsors. We simply would not be able to do what we can for our OLLY children if it wasn’t for the generosity and kindness of people who recognise what we aim to do, and thanks to their continued support we now work with 251 children across Merseyside.
This Christmas, we will be delivering 1000 Christmas presents to OLLY children across Merseyside. Santa and the elves will deliver the presents from the OLLY red bus, which was kindly donated by Liverpool Football Club, from the 19th to the 21st December. As the bus pulls into the children’s streets he will ring his bell and Christmas music will be playing from the bus decorated with lights. It is a truly wonderful sight to see how excited the children get and it is guaranteed to put a huge smile on all of their faces. These children will have lost a loved one from homicide, while others will be living in communities where there is high deprivation. At OLLY, we believe that all children are equal and that every child has the right to be happy. It is OLLY’s aim to bring joy to a child’s life and put smiles on their faces. We believe a child’s happiness is worth its weight in gold, and we are able to make even more children happy now thanks to the amazing generosity of gifts donated which means we have opened a Toy Bank at The HUB on Anson Street for families to come along and leave with a toy for their children on Christmas Day. No family will be turned away; we know how stressful Christmas time can be and fully understand what it is like to fall on hard times.
Our charity has grown vastly in 2016, with the amount of children we currently support being proof of that. We recognise that we have so many people to thank for their generosity and kindness. We rely on volunteers and sponsors to support OLLY, and have been lucky enough to receive support from Variety GB and our amazing friend Lyn Staunton whose good will knows no end. Lyn and Variety GB helped to make the children’s Christmas party at Broadway Social Club a memorable one by donating glow sticks and selection boxes for every single child. We would also like to show our appreciation to Cash for Kids, Sarah Johnson the events co-ordinator for the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool, and Stuart Fergus from the James Bulger Foundation for supporting our Santa Drop. We have also had the pleasure of being sponsored by our Angel of Kindness, Montse Benitez, with her outstanding generosity. Montse has donated some magnificent designer dresses to our OLLY charity shop, and has remained a strong supporter of ours as she has seen firsthand the work we do with our children. Both Monste and Variety GB have donated sleeping tents, activity tents and camping equipment so that we can take the OLLY children on fantastic camping trips. This donation means we already have two camping trips planned for 2017 that we can’t wait for. And of course we are not forgetting the unforgettable trips to Disneyland Paris that Montse has made possible.
We are also so pleased to announce that we have opened our new OLLY Charity Shop this December. Our shop was previously located on Anson Street which has now been commissioned by Police Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy to become a one stop shop called The HUB for families that have lost a loved one to homicide or road accidents. The shop is now situated in the busier location of Bootle Strand Shopping Centre on the ground floor. There are women’s, men’s, children and baby clothes on sale as well as books, DVDs, toys and gifts. Our rails start from £1.99, £2.99, £3.99 and £4.99. We are also excited to showcase a line of designer dresses donated by Montse Benitez.
If anyone ever needs any support from our founder Jean Taylor or from our volunteers don’t hesitate to drop by The HUB at 6 Anson Street, Liverpool, L3 5NY or call us on 0151 709 2994 from 9am-5pm or our 24 hour line on 07740 149899.
